


Part of Your World

by JustAnotherFangirlAtHeart



Category: SK8 the Infinity (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - The Little Mermaid Fusion, Conflict, Dogs, Forests, Hitting Adam, Kissing, Langa has a dog, Langa's mom is the real MVP, Little Mermaid Elements, Lots of Water, M/M, Magic, Mermaid Reki, Mountains, Pining, Prince Langa, Relationship(s), Transformation, Walks On The Beach
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-20 22:13:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30011700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAnotherFangirlAtHeart/pseuds/JustAnotherFangirlAtHeart
Summary: Reki thinks humans are neat. So he tries to reach out to find a human friend, and ends up with a small crush on the cute boy who happens to find his trinkets. When he isn't watching the human, he enjoys his time around S with Miya before things take an interesting turn.When offered the chance to meet his cute human, he takes it despite any consequences. Will things work out in the redhead's favour?
Relationships: Brief Hasegawa Langa/Shindo Ainosuke | Adam, Chinen Miya & Kyan Reki, Hasegawa Langa's Mother & Kyan Reki, Hasegawa Langa/Kyan Reki, Yeti the Dog
Comments: 8
Kudos: 78





	Part of Your World

**Author's Note:**

> Hello hello hello again! This will be my first fic for the SK8 fandom, and my third ever fic since rejoining fanwriting. I was aiming for around 10k words and ended up with a bit bigger of a beast. And admittedly? I don't think I've ever been prouder of myself. I hope you enjoy this story just as much as I do! 
> 
> Thank you to my boyfriend for supporting me through this, helping me start the idea, and working on it with me. He made a wonderful drawing to accompany this fic, and can be found [Here](https://twitter.com/pawkaray/status/1370862152475676672?s=20).
> 
> If you liked my fic, please don't hesitate to leave kudos and/or any kind of comment!

Living on the coast always had its perks. In the summer, the beach was fantastic, with balmy sand and a cool breeze flowing off of the water. In the winter, it looked majestic and forlorn in the same breadth. There was never a moment where looking out at the vast ocean was dull. Well, this was at least the case for a certain prince living in a grand castle that sat mere meters away from the waves. 

On the west coast of Canada, a small monarchy resided as if in a fairytale. The queen, Nanako Hasegawa, took her days leisurely as her staff took care of the castle. Although she cooked and often worked alongside the staff in her free time, she tried to always keep time free for her son, Prince Langa. The boy held little for responsibilities at the time, leaving him with plenty of time for his own use. This meant trips further into the mountains for snowboarding, or taking his dog, Yeti, out for walks along the beach. He was a rather active person.

On the other hand, the young prince was a little bit aloof in nature. He kept to himself more often than not, and never bothered to make friends. Even with his own mother, Langa didn’t come forward about much. Perhaps a few questions or two about responsibilities, but otherwise their dinner conversations tended to be stifled. 

So when the prince came back home from a walk on the coast with Yeti one day, grin wide and emotive, of course the queen had become concerned.

∞∞∞∞∞

Reki almost always felt bored. Sure, there’s the whole seven seas to explore at any given moment, current cruising, and scaring ships, but- some things were easier to do than others. His mom didn’t want him leaving their current settlement until he was old enough; he was sure she just wanted him to stick around to help with his little sisters. The ocean just wasn’t large enough for him anymore.

When the redhead got a chance to himself, it ended up as time to meet with his cruising buddies. The Alaska Current, nicknamed S, was not the furthest thing from their home, but they could travel to it rather quickly. Yet quicker, when they wiggled into the strong pull of the current.  
Reki loved current cruising like nothing else. His closest friend, Miya, was almost always found next to the current at any time of the day. The younger merman was always finding some new trick to try, and usually pulled Reki along with him. They would spend hours on end twirling and looping in and out of the speedy water, racing back and forth to keep from going too far out. 

All kinds of other merfolk would be there to play too, or they would just watch. Sometimes there were races, or style-offs that would draw larger crowds. Reki always loved to take part when he got the chance. Sometimes the redhead would just watch for the sake of learning new moves, or to see the blur of pretty colours. 

He never thought about it much, but Reki loved the colour of his scales. The long, outer edge of his tail fin was a rich purple, with the rest of his fin neon yellow. The yellow trailed up the backside of his tail, an ombre of orange, while the majority of his tail was a fluorescent pink. He had all kinds of yellow and pink fins lining the side of his tail, some even clear. His orange-to-red gills and fins that lined his neck completed the soft gradient that ended with his rich red hair. It all just made him feel- well, pretty. 

In a funny contrast, Miya’s tail was more akin to a catfish than a run-of-the-mill tropical fish. It was a bright green with purple accents, the front hue lighter than the back. The purple mostly kept to his fins, with odd faint swirls stemming back to his tail. His gills and neck fins were a deep magenta. It all suited him well enough. 

But when his mom wished for him to stick close to home some days, Reki was stuck with busying himself. He would go through his chores as quickly as he could, so that he could go looking for collectables. This included abandoned shells, cool looking rocks, and most importantly, whatever the hell humans managed to lose. His room had a chest filled with random objects that he occasionally liked to look through. 

One day, he had stumbled upon a weird looking circle of some kind of- fabric? It looked rough yet was smooth to the touch. It had two rusted pieces of metal dangling off of it, one with a smaller piece of metal inside it. It was one of the more bizarre human finds Reki had made. He decided to hold onto it and add shells to the few small holes it had along it’s flat edge. They went well with the silver buckle next to them.

The only thing he was told when handling these objects was to never interact with those who made it. If something fell from a passing ship, he wasn’t allowed to return it. Although, the kids of the community did like to taunt the ships by hitting the hull or splashing water up high enough to startle one of the humans on board. They would always catch shit for this, but as long as they ducked away and were not seen, what was the harm?

That’s where Reki got an idea. Humans seemed chill, so what _was_ the harm? Yet he knew better, after tales of harm and death. So on his occasional trip to the shore, he would bring some of his own trinkets up to the sand with him, checking for any humans before wiggling up.. There was a small creek that babbled from a circular erosion in the cliff side, a while away from the big and tall structure that was further inland. It was perfect for him to present and leave his collectables for a human to find, if they ever came walking this way. 

Reki had left a blue conch shell one time. The next time he came, it was still there. So he added a yellowed sand dollar. He allowed for more time to pass before he checked again. They remained untouched. Reki then added a handful of orange cowrie shells. 

Third time’s the charm!

Reki had left his small shell arrangement right next to the creek that night. He had meant to wait another three or four days before returning to check, but his sisters had begged him to braid their hair the next day instead of letting him go cruising. So he stayed behind, leaving him with a craving for adventure. His only option left now was to visit the beach. 

The sun had just been setting when his red hair and amber eyes popped out of the water. Reki heard weird yips from what seemed to be a long ways out now, but what caught his attention the most was his missing shells. His gasp was muted as it sounded while his mouth was still under the waves.

Reki swam as fast as he could up and onto the shoreline, hosting himself up next to the head of the stream. They were truly no longer there. 

His head swivelled around to check if they were just pushed around a little by a high tide, or the wind, or some birds. Nothing blue, creamy, nor orange caught his eye. Reki cheered, pumping a fist in the air as his ‘interaction’ felt to have come to fruition. Yet little did he know what he had just begun.

∞∞∞∞∞

Langa took Yeti on walks everyday, as one would do so with their pet dog. Even though the winters could be brutal and harsh along the coast, he found he didn’t mind bringing his dog out to play in the snow. At the time, thankfully, it was just turning spring, meaning more puddles than ice. As well, this meant consistently damp sand for the two of them to play in.

Yeti would always find driftwood and random sticks to pick up and carry with them. Sometimes, Langa would take them and huck them further ahead for the dog to fetch. Who needed to bring along some tennis ball to play with when you had unlimited sticks? 

This walk was different, though. The two usually kept it close to home, but on the odd occasion, Langa wanted a more drawn out trip to the beach. As it got nicer, it made more sense to spend his free time taking in the sun that was not as present in the winter. He extended their walk further out this time, where the cliff face grew to be a little more menacing. The sounds of calm water meandering its way back to the ocean reached his ears. Yeti was the first to find the source of this noise. 

Langa followed behind his pet, the wagging of Yeti’s tail indicated that he had found something of interest. He guessed that it was just the small creek that streamed from the cliff base, but upon closer inspection, a small assortment of shells sat within the small enclosure. The prince looked them over carefully, finding them to be in pristine condition. How they got here, he had no idea.

Yet something told Langa to leave them be. Perhaps someone else came around to take a casual stoll, collecting shells as they went. His Great Pyrenees sat down with his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he watched his owner gently set them back down in their respective places. He would love to hold onto them, as they were gorgeous, but he didn’t wish to take away someone else’s findings. 

He began to walk away from the shells when Yeti barked from behind him. Langa turned around to see what his dog was up to, and saw him still seated next to the creek. He had the conch shell in his mouth. “Yeti! Put that down,” he commanded his dog. The last thing he wanted to do was chip the unmarred shell. But Yeti stayed put, shell between his teeth. “Yeti,” he tried again. His dog just tilted his head as if in question. 

With an amused sigh, Langa walked back over to his pet. He held one hand, the other petting Yeti’s head, as he knelt next to the dog with a raised eyebrow. “Hand it over,” Langa once again asked. Now Yeti just huffed out through his nose. The prince knew he trained him better than this. 

Langa caved in. Clearly his dog was asking him to bring the shells along, and he was not going to get a say in the matter. (Puppy eyes are one of his greatest weaknesses, okay?) So he picked up the sand dollars and cowries to hold onto until he got back to the castle. 

The next day, Langa had been curious to find out if there would be more shells laying around the creek. Or perhaps an angry note or frowny face in the sand detailing the other person’s disappointment in his actions. As Yeti bound ahead once again in the wet sand, the prince wandered over to the erosion. 

An ivory, long-spined star shell sat in that same spot as the conch shell had. 

Langa’s eyes sparkled as he picked up the delicate and eye-catching shell. A spine or two seemed to have broken off, but that was alright. Something now told him, instead, that these shells were left for someone to find. Perhaps the prince himself, but that was just self-centered thinking at that point. He picked it up with the same attentiveness as before. 

The following day, he made sure to do his usual walk. As they said- “Once is chance, twice is a coincidence, third time is a pattern”. Langa jogged the last stretch between him and the creek, Yeti hopping happily alongside him. His eyes scanned the cliff base in search of another brightly contrasting object. He couldn’t see anything and it made his heart sink. He hoped this person just- didn’t have the time to drop by today. Or something.

∞∞∞∞∞

“Moooom, come on! I already did my chores all day yesterday!” Reki whined as his mom crossed her arms. She did not seem to be ready to cave in any time soon. He started a staring match with his eyebrows furrowed. He just wanted to drop off another shell or two, was that too much to ask?

“Reki, I will be gone for the day. You need to watch over your sisters. Now be good, alright?” she tutted, ending the argument with the wave of a hand. She soon left with a sing-song-y goodbye.

∞∞∞∞∞

Langa sat at dinner, pouting. His mother never bothered to ask what was up with him unless he began the conversation. He took this and ran with it as he practically sulked during the whole of dinner. Instead, Nanako made her usual attempt at casual conversation between bites of her meal.

“How was the weather along the shore today, Langa?” the queen asked from across the table. He finished chewing his food, swallowing, before going to reply. 

“It was nice,” he dryly commented before taking more food into his mouth. 

“Ah. Good to know! .... How is Yeti?” she tried again. Mentally, she was in anguish over her son’s lack of conversational skills. 

Langa repeated the process. “He’s fine,” he replied while casting a glance over to said dog. Yeti was chowing down on his share of the leftover meat from their dinner. The prince let a subtle smile adorn his lips. 

“That’s good to hear,” Nanako responded awkwardly. The dining room was quiet for the rest of the meal.

That evening, something yelled at Langa to go check on the spot again. There was no way he could settle on a ‘coincidence’. He wanted to see more shells, placed there just for him to see. Just for him to appreciate, and hold onto, and display. The few he found thus far sat in a row on his large window sill. There was so much room yet to be filled. 

So without his pet, Langa set off on a late evening walk. One would rather call it a run, since that was essentially what he did instead. He raced over to the cliff face for the second time that day. The setting sun was the last of his illumination, making him slightly squint in search of a bright shell. 

_There._

The light caught splendidly against the still-wet shell. It was an ark, coloured in pastel pinks. It sat prettily against the furthest corner of the rock erosion. He stared at it in awe and hope before realizing- _It’s still wet?_

Langa’s head whipped back up, looking back and forth around the beach as he searched for the person who would have left the shell. He jogged around the corner, looking for any sign of a person. No one. He called out an awkward ‘hello?’, getting no answer. Then it clicked that there weren’t any footprints in the damp sand, anyways. This had him wondering, just what was truly going on?

He returned to the shell, picking it up and cradling it in his left hand. His eyes went to look over at the vibrant setting sun with its last light of the day simmering within the waves of the ocean. The warm colours gave the illusion that the water was a creamy orange instead of the known haunting blue. One spot looked closer to a red. A calm and deep breath in had him feeling not that rushed to figure out the secret of this ‘pattern’. 

Langa heard a splash. It wasn’t from behind him. 

His eyes turned frantic, glancing all over the waves in front of him as he desperately looked for the source. It was most likely a fish or some other animal, but Langa was feeling adventurous. There was a story to be told, here. But nothing strange nor out of place caught his eye, sweep after sweep. 

His shoulders sagged as he made his way back to the castle.

∞∞∞∞∞

Reki’s heart raced as he watched the human with silky, light-blue hair run up to the shell he had put down mere seconds before. His eyes and hair were once again the only parts of him showing above the surface of the water. He hoped the sun would keep him hidden or camouflaged if the human looked his way.

From there, he giggled as the beautiful man looked around the corner, shouting to no one. The defeated look on his face almost made him want to wave at him then and there- but Reki knew better. Yet the pout on his light pink lips… Reki kind of wanted to know what they felt like against his. He quickly shook his head to clear away that impulsive thought. 

The redhead felt a pair of eyes on him. So he ducked right back under, cheeks flushing to the same shade as his hair. _Please don’t have been caught please please please-!_ screamed his mind as he sank deeper, holding his breath in wait. 

There was no sound coming from above. Reki chanced a check. The man was gone.

∞∞∞∞∞

Langa placed the shell next to the rest of his growing collection with a smile. The shells were pretty under the dazzling moonlight. Something about it felt complete, despite only having five lining the sill. He told himself he would check every day from now on, for sure, on the off chance that there was at least _something_ from whoever- or whatever- was leaving the shells there.

Langa awoke to Yeti licking his face. He laughed heartily at the tickly feeling it gave him as he pushed his dog away, sitting up. His very first thought was to get up and take Yeti on their walk near the cliffs, but he knew better. That previous shell had been placed that evening, so why would there be one early this morning? He balled his fists a few times in discontent before getting up and out of bed for the day.

He didn’t pay attention in his weekly court session as he sat through meeting after lesson after announcement. He wanted to run back to the creek with Yeti in tow instead, taking in the salty air and roaring waves, as his eyes spied another vibrant shell. Princely things would have to wait until his mystery was solved. 

Langa survived the same old day. Once he was finally dismissed, he grabbed Yeti from his fenced-in field in the yard before getting his shoes. Without a second thought, he was right out the door. 

Yeti ran beside him with his mouth open, happily panting. If Langa had any guesses, he would say that his dog knew just what he was up to. A wide smile made itself at home on his face as he ran with Yeti towards their target destination. Sooner than later, they came to a slow jog as they approached the creek. Something different sat in place of a shell. 

The blue eyed prince picked it up with awe. It was one of Yeti’s old dog collars. They had gone walking one day in the winter, as per usual, and the big white puppy had decided to wrangle out of the collar. The buckle had cracked, sending it flying towards the water. Since they had already been on the layer of ice covering the ocean, fate decided the collar had to tread further out. It then proceeded to slip closer and closer to the edge, flirting with the cold water. 

The millimeter-thick ice broke under its weight before it could reach the water. 

Of course, the younger prince did not follow after it. He knew better. So he just let it be, bell and nametag and all sinking into the depths. They got Yeti a new collar that same day. 

“Yeti, boy, do you remember this?” Langa asked with excitement. He let the dog sniff at it, not a thought behind those eyes. “It’s your old collar! When you almost ran away!” he still continued to explain. He ruffled the dog’s fur before pocketing the long lost item. Then something clicked.

How the _hell_ would this ever end up here? Surely the tide couldn’t have, one, been that high all of a sudden, nor two, been that strong and swift to bring the collar back from the bottom of the ocean. Langa furrowed his eyebrows in thought. Yeti sat patiently, eyes darting around him. The prince was shaken from his thoughts when his dog barked and suddenly ran around the corner. Today was full of surprises, it seemed. 

Langa languidly walked over to where his pet had ran off to, looking around the corner. He could see a wagging tail from just behind a large boulder, the size of a smaller boulder. The sound of a voice shushing the barking dog suddenly drew his attention. He climbed up on the rock to look over at what the commotion was, curious as hell. What if it was the person he was looking for?

Startled amber eyes met his own surprised aqua orbs. 

The other boy yelped and flailed back into the water, his tail whipping out from the waves with his momentum. A splash accompanied his tail finally resubmerging, soaking Yeti in salt water. He yipped before backing up a few steps to shake himself off. Langa watched this all unfold with amused eyes, life happening far too quick for him to fully register it all. 

Whoever that just was, was not coming up for air, and it began to concern the prince. “Hello? Who was there? Are you alright?” he called out, not thinking too hard about how the boy probably couldn’t hear him from beneath the water. He slid down the boulder and leaned down to bring his face right up against the ocean. Langa couldn’t spot anything in particular. He let out a defeated sigh just as a pair of fearful eyes popped out from the water a few meters away. 

“What are you doing? What is this… costume, and makeup, you are wearing? This seems a little dangerous,” Langa commented, standing up while keeping his gaze locked with the other’s. There was no answer as the person(?) continued to stare him down. He really appeared spooked. “Do you need help?” Still nothing. “Have you been leaving the shells?”

“... Yeah,” a timid voice sounded, a touch choppy from the waves rolling between them. Yeti arfed softly in reply, making the other boy laugh. It sounded so musical and jovial. This all made Langa perk up. 

“They are so beautiful. Have I been stealing them from you?” he once again inquired, fidgeting with his own hands. 

“... No,” he replied. A silence settled over them. So Langa tried again. 

“Are you okay out there?”

“Um, yeah, I- I should actually get going,” the redhead stuttered, sinking down just a tad deeper into the waves before disappearing beneath them. Langa frowned, troubled by the sequence of events that just unfolded. He stared out at the spot he last saw the boy, Yeti sitting patiently by his side as he thought back. A fancy tail… gills?... did he have fins on his face?... the old collar-

_No…_ his mind huffed, _Mermaids don’t exist, silly!_

“Do mermaids exist, Yeti?”

“Bark!”

“I will take that as a yes.”

∞∞∞∞∞

Langa walked into the foyer of the castle with a giant grin plastered to his face. Yeti trotted in after him, wet-sand pawprints lining the floor. Nanako had been passing overhead when she heard her son return from his walk.

“Langa! How was- oh!” she exclaimed, pausing at the sight of her usually neutral-faced son smiling. “Did you find something interesting on your walk?”

Langa just smiled wider before removing his shoes and changing into an indoor set. “Something like that,” he hummed, as vocal as ever, as he began making his way towards his room. One of the staff quickly caught the Great Pyrenees to give him a quick bath. 

The queen just huffed, angry at herself for missing another opportunity to converse with her ever-growing little prince.

∞∞∞∞∞

Reki’s heart was racing, absolutely given’ ‘er in his chest, as he swam back home. That was the _one_ rule he actually cared about not breaking, since it was the only one that could get him, his family, and hell, maybe even his whole species killed off. _But this human seemed rather kind!_ his mind supplied as he neared his home. _But this human also seemed to think I was just some human in a costume…_ he countered. Regardless, if anyone found out, he was done for.

Reki ducked into his family’s blocky coral house, heading right for his room. He pulled his seaweed pillow to his face, screaming into it for a few seconds before setting it back down. 

The worst part of all? The human was so, so, _so_ attractive. 

He didn’t want to leave, let alone when he had. The human had just said that he liked his gifts! That the shells were beautiful! Sure, the last thing he left was just some junk he found that looked cool, but that didn’t matter. He appeared to be happy to see it. There was something very welcoming about the other boy. He still wanted to share a kiss with him. Reki wasn’t fully sure why this was. 

As his family had dinner, he remembered that he had promised Miya to finally stop by S today. Reki had been so preoccupied with his trips to the shore that he had forgotten all about the current. The merman was quick to finish his meal before excusing himself early. His mom let him go, knowing that he would throw a small fit if she kept him another evening. 

On his way there, a handful of other merfolk were making their way over as well, chatting as they went. Reki began to overhear chats about some ‘Ainosuke’ person. They whispered about him and his new streak of wins over the past few days, beating some of the best cruisers. The thing was, he wasn’t strictly a merfolk. It sounded like Ainosuke instead had the tail of a red serpent, his body heavily streamlined for twisting and turning through the strong current. Reki did not like the sound of this.

But as he got closer, he also heard numerous other rumours. One claimed he was from the Atlantic instead of the Pacific ocean. Another said that he had sharp fangs. The most interesting one, by far, was a rumour that Ainosuke was a sea witch, his shop full of potions and spells. The redhead was beginning to wonder just what he was about to see back at S.

“Took you long enough, slug! Maybe one day you will get promoted to snail,” Miya greeted, swimming around him a few times. It made Reki a little dizzy. 

“Tsk, I’ve beat you more times that you can count your fingers,” Reki countered, crossing his arms with a smirk. 

“Most of those don’t even count!” the younger merman exclaimed with a frown. “Anyways, get over here, the race is about to start!” he added before Reki could retort, grabbing him by the hand and swimming straight to the side of the current. 

There was more talk about Ainosuke as they waited for the two racers to start. Reki didn’t mean to focus so much on chatting, but his interest had been piqued. 

“Did you hear that Ainosuke has been experimenting with a potion to allow us to turn into a human for two days?” an older mermaid commented to her friend next to her. “How cool would that be? There would be no danger in visiting the shore.”

“Ugh, I would love that. There’s so much I want to see. The tall and spiky pieces of land look so fun in the summer,” her friend replied with a dreamy sigh. Another sigh was heard. They both turned their heads to give Reki a look.

The redhead had sighed just after the second mermaid, his jaw cupped in one hand as his other hand supported it front his waist. He was staring dreamily off into the ocean. He came back to reality at their giggles with a blush before sputtering out an excuse for himself. Miya just nudged him with a mischievous look. 

“What was _that_ about?” Miya teased, trying not to laugh. 

“None of your business…” Reki huffed with a pout, crossing his arms again as he tried to puff out his chest. Miya’s face then went lax in what seemed to be shock and a little bit of fear. “What? Was I that intimidating?” he asked with a concerned look on his face. The younger boy just pursed his lips while looking just beyond him. So Reki turned around. 

“My, my, my! I have heard good things about you, little fishy!” purred a silky smooth voice. Reki quickly pieced together that the voice came from none other than the serpent mer that treaded water in front of him. It was most definitely not himself that had Miya frightened. 

“I can smell-” Ainosuke began, taking a nice and deep breath through his nose as he spiraled around Reki, “your curiosity about my hobbies from miles away.” As he completed his handful of 360s around the redhead, his long tail lined with black swirls still formed a spiral around his body. He laughed from the depths of his belly. He reappeared in front of Reki just as the tail disappeared from his view. Reki would never admit to having jumped a little in reaction. 

“What’s your point here? I don’t have any money, dude,” Reki muttered with a shrug, “and you’re kinda sus.” Sure, he was interested… but this Ainosuke person was much more frightening than anyone had really made him out to be. 

“Oh, my! That is rather unfortunate, little fishy,” he sing-songed. “But! I have the answer to your woes,” Ainosuke added, hands gesturing wildly as he wiggled his tail, as if happy. _Like a… dog?_ Reki’s brain supplied. 

“What’s your idea?” he questioned with a confused look. Reki was not about to sell his body for the first (hopefully last) time to some damn weirdo-

“Race me!” Ainosuke stated loud and clear. What wasn’t so loud and clear was the gulp Reki took in fright. “I might need a small favour if you win, since the potions take oh so much time and effort, but I promise you your choice of magic if you beat me fair and square.”

Reki began to seriously consider this proposal as flashes of a cute human and his weird creature passed through his mind’s eye. Yeah, he just met him today, but Reki was a simple merman. The dude was cute! What was he to do! And he already knew that he had posed a threat by showing his face, but this could be his chance to fix his mistake. 

“Deal.”

“Wonderful! We shall start in ten,” Ainosuke cheered with a toothy smile that stretched a tad too wide. A shiver passed through the redhead. And before he could second guess himself, the serpent man was already well on his way to the start of the course. 

“Reki! That was so cool! You gotta win now!” Miya shouted, eyes twinkling with awe. 

“I guess I do,” Reki mumbled, awkwardly rubbing his arm as he contemplated what he just signed up for.

∞∞∞∞∞

The race had come and gone in what felt like the blink of an eye. Ainosuke was fast, definitely, but he was way too showy. It cost him time that Reki had cashed in on with every trick. Admittedly, Ainosuke’s tail had gotten in his way a few times, but he didn’t let that deter him from his goal. The finish line was within his sights while his competition was not. Things looked good. And they were.

“Reki!! That was so cool! You just won against the best of the best,” Miya commented as said merman burst out of the current. Reki smiled proudly, beating his fist against his chest twice in a display of his pride. To ruin the moment, came the loser. 

“Ah, little fishy, you have truly bested me… I am a little ashamed of myself! Yet at the same time, you were so… marvelous,” Ainosuke rambled, the end of his tail coming around to toy with a lock of Reki’s hair. He pulled away from the touch. 

“Great, so I can choose my potion now?” Reki replied with, a single eyebrow raised. 

“How impatient! Sure thing, _Reki_ ,” he then purred, waving his arm in a gesture to say ‘follow me’. Something warned Reki in the back of his mind to remove himself from this situation, but he warred, telling himself that this was his best option. He would get to see his human again. Properly.

So Reki followed after the serpent merman after a cautionary look back at Miya. The catfish merman seemed excited for him, but did seem a little worried at the same time. The redhead just shook his head to clear his mind while trailing behind Ainosuke. He was heading the opposite direction of his community of merfolk, which also concerned him further. But he was determined. 

After what felt like way too long of a swim, especially considering that they had just raced, the pair finally came to a stop as they neared a large cave in a seamount. Ainosuke held open the seaweed curtain that was crafted at the doorway, gesturing for Reki to enter first. He hesitantly swam into the cave, his eyes glancing around the space. Nothing seemed overly concerning or dangerous, at least so far. The swish of Ainosuke’s tail coiling into the space as he settled made Reki shiver. Again. 

“What was it that you had in mind, little fishy?” he hummed as he dragged his fingers along the bumpy shelves protruding from the walls. With every passing second, Reki was beginning to find his voice more and more annoying. 

“I heard you had a potion in the works to make a mer a human for a few days?” he inquired while maintaining his space from the other merman. 

“Ah, haha, I see! Lovely, lovely timing, Reki dear, for I have just finished the final recipe! I am more than happy to supply you with some,” Ainosuke cooed, already grabbing what he needed from different shelves to whip up the concoction. 

“So… that’s just- it, then? Cool,” Reki hummed.

“Ah, ah, ah, little fishy! There’s just one little thing I will need from you in exchange, you see,” the older merman chastised, starting to throw a few bottles and random objects into a cauldron in the center of the room. “It says just what I need here on this contract.”

Reki watched as Ainosuke sent a plate of coral his way on a small current. Finely etched words covered the flat surface, with a single empty space left on the bottom for a signature. The redhead bit his lip as he realized that he couldn’t read most of the cursive on the plate. 

“... What is it?” he asked, looking up from the coral to see a vibrant plume of purple bubbles foam up from the cauldron. 

“I just need a memory, one that’s powerful enough to bring the potion to understand… your desires,” Ainosuke explained as he snaked part of his tail around Reki’s neck, the tip petting at his cheek. “You would of course get the memory back after the two days, but only if that desire ends up fulfilled. Otherwise, everything associated with that memory will be wiped from your mind forever. Deal?” His tail slithered away.

“That’s kinda fucked up, man… Is that really it?” Reki once again questioned. Even he was sick of having to ask any further, fearing just what answer he would get next. Ainosuke nodded solemnly, a fake frown stretching his already too wide lips. Yet, Reki knew just what he wanted. The younger merman gulped before saying his next words while signing off the contract. “Deal.”

“How lovely! Now, my little, precious Reki, think long and hard about your memory of choice,” he gushed, pushing him closer to the mixture with his tail. Reki had closed his eyes as he thought back to the other evening where he first met the human and his dog. His heart fluttered at the memory just as a bright orb of light left his head. It entered a clear pyram shell. He suddenly couldn’t recall what he was thinking about, so he opened his eyes. Reki was greeted with another plume of black bubbles before he heard Ainosuke cackle. A small vial of light purple liquid was presented in front of his face. “Take it when you are ready, little fishy.”

Reki swam home with a grin on his face. He couldn’t wait to meet the human for the first time.

∞∞∞∞∞

“Mom! I’m home!” Reki announced as he settled into his room. He heard her respond from the living room, the sound of his little sisters’ babbling following right after. Something in his chest tightened at the idea of not seeing them for two whole days as he instead followed his dreams. He got himself comfortable on his bed before allowing sleep to claim him. Tomorrow would be the start of something new.

∞∞∞∞∞

Reki did his chores all morning while helping his sisters get ready for the day. He made breakfast in place of his mom, a way of saying ‘goodbye’ without having to verbalize it. He also added an extra treat to each of his sisters’ lunches with a chuckle. His mom wouldn’t like that, but they would appreciate it all the more after missing him for a while. Hopefully they wouldn’t worry too much. The last thing he wanted to do was explain any of what happened and what _will_ happen.

Reki told his mom he was going out, giving her a long and tight hug, before taking the vial with him to the beach. 

His head bobbed out of the water as he got closer to the waterline. No one was there, thankfully. The redhead brought the vial out from under the water, eyeing it with a mix of caution and excitement. He already ‘paid’ for it, so he had to go through with it. Right? He uncorked it with his long nails before downing it all in one go. _God, that tastes like seahorse shit,_ Reki thought as he stuck his tongue out, trying not to gag. 

At first he felt nothing. Then he felt too much. His tail burned as if struck by a puffer fish, tearing a scream from him. The water filling his gills began to feel suffocating. Reki did his best to swim himself over to the sand, everything hurting. He was half way onto the warm sand when he finally felt the pain ebb. Looking down at himself through teary eyes, the redhead could see his two new legs, with some random limb sitting between them. “Gross,” he pouted at the limb. Feeling his neck, there were no longer any gills or fins present. “It worked!” Reki finally cheered. 

He went to stand, but only found himself stumbling back down onto his knees. “Shit,” he cursed to himself, the sand starting to feel extra grating on his dry skin. It was just after lunch now, meaning the sun was rather bright. It admittedly felt really nice along his legs. A sigh heaved out of him. 

Air rushed back into his lungs at the sound of a bark. 

“Sorry, buddy, no shell today. There will be one tomorrow,” a somewhat familiar voice sounded. It was much tamer than the shouting he last recalled from the same voice. Reki didn’t know what to do as he laid very, very nakedly on the beach, sand already getting in uncomfortable places. Humans didn’t always need clothes anyways, right?

Reki pushed himself to lean ‘casually’ against a rock. It also felt familiar, but all boulders ended up looking the same, anyways. He forced the feeling away. His arms were the ones doing all the work in keeping him propped up against the cool and damp stone, his legs shaking. He schooled himself into a confident look and air. 

Almost all too soon, a fluffy creature came barreling around the corner, startling Reki enough to lose his composure and his stance. He landed on his butt with a groan just as a certain blue-haired boy jogged around the corner. Reki’s eyes widened in amazement as his face flushed pink. The dog reached him first. _Why does this feel like deja vu?_ he thought momentarily as the dog licked his face. He laughed, the touch tickling him.

“Oh, it’s you! Wait-” Langa said with a smile, before his face went blank. His gaze had gone down for a second before flicking back up to some point beyond the redhead. His own cheeks began to match Reki’s. “Why are you naked,” he added with no intonation. 

“It’s me?” Reki whispered more to himself than the other boy. They hadn’t met… right? Whatever. There seemed to be more pressing matters. “Um, I just like being… naked?” he awkwardly tried to reason. The dog sat down beside him after he pushed his nose out of his face. “It’s pretty normal… where I come from.”

Langa refused to think the pretty boy in front of him- who must have been dressing as a mermaid, bringing him gifts- was from some random Canadian Rockies nudist colony. “Alright… okay. Do you… need anything?” he carefully spoke, eyes still glued to the skyline beyond the boy. His encounters with the redhead just kept getting weirder and weirder. 

“Haha, yeah, actually! I need clothes. Maybe food. I haven’t had lunch yet,” Reki replied with a thoughtful look. The human was very attractive, especially with his pink cheeks against the pale of his face. Hopefully he didn’t scare him off at any point. 

“Right. Right, clothes, and food. Do you need some place to stay?” Langa continued to ask. 

“I mean, probably. I’m a ways out now, from home. Ya know,” Reki half-truthed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. 

“Sure. You can… follow me, then. Did you leave your costume somewhere?” the blue-haired boy questioned with a weird look on his face. Costume? 

“Haha, what costume, you silly? L-Let’s just get going,” Reki replied with a stutter, trying to ease himself back onto his shaky legs. That did not end well for him again, placing him now kneeling in the sand. Yeti barked and nudged his nose at Reki’s hand. He ignored the deadpan look the other boy was giving him as he hoisted himself up again, the pet using it’s head to steady the redhead. 

“Are you sure you are alright?” Langa huffed, desperately trying to keep his eyes on the other boy’s face. Reki nodded vigorously with a strained smile as he began to make baby steps closer to Langa. The sand that stuck to his damp legs slowly fell off with each step. The blue-haired boy kept a few steps in front of the slower boy as they trekked their way back to his castle.

∞∞∞∞∞

“Hello? I need someone to grab some clothes for me, please,” Langa shouted into the foyer through a slightly cracked open door, hoping a passing staff would hear him. He heard the rush of footsteps, prompting him to shut the door in wait. Reki remained silent as he watched the human impatiently tap his foot and run his hands through his hair. He seemed stressed.

“What-”

“Just wait, please,” Langa begged, still not facing the merman-turned-human. So Reki shut his yap. 

Not before long, a neatly folded pile of clothes was placed down on the step before the door. The staff that had opened the door kept his eyes shut as he did so before bowing and excusing himself. Reki continued to awkwardly wait for what to do. Langa just motioned for him to put the clothes on. So that’s what he at least tried to do.

Reki grabbed a garment that seemed to fit over his legs. It was short but had three holes. He put those on first. Next was something with now, instead, four holes. It reminded him of a chest plate some of his fellow merfolk wore. So he put that on over his top half. There was some weird pair of small yet lengthy... sacks?- left on the floor. He frowned at them. _What would those cover…?_

Langa chose that time to turn around. A sigh of relief left him as he saw the boy mostly dressed. The redhead seemed to be playing with the socks he had been given. “If you don’t want to wear them that’s fine. As long as you put on some slippers once inside,” he commented before opening the door for Reki. As stressful as all that had been, the mannerisms of the other boy were rather endearing. 

The two stepped into the castle. Reki looked around in awe; he had never seen anything like this even in the ocean. Everything was clean and sparkly, the ceiling high above their heads. There were all kinds of accents of gold and pearl, giving the place a shine to it. The floor was either smooth and white, or fuzzy and red. It was enchanting. 

“We should probably get you into a bath or shower. I can’t imagine the sand… is very comfortable,” Langa commented, looking bashfully at the other boy. His red hair had dried off on their way, revealing it to be extra voluminous and spiky. It seemed to fit his personality rather well, the prince had thought. 

Reki agreed to whatever this bath or shower thing was. It sounded like it should be nice! Especially if it meant ridding him of the sand lining his buttcrack. He followed behind Langa again as he was led to what was called a ‘water closet’. The word water had him fidgeting excitedly. The taller boy quickly showed him how ‘our specific taps’ worked. 

Ten minutes later, Langa burst back into the room. He had seen water and bubbles leaking out from underneath the door to the bathroom. The sight that greeted him was one he knew would remember for a long, long time. A full bodied laugh made its way out of his lungs as he hunched over in his peels of laughter. All he could see was the liquid amber of Reki’s eyes peeking out amidst the mass of bubbles that practically reached the low ceiling. The tap was still very much running as it rushed water over the lip of the tub, carrying glimmering bubbles down along with it. 

“What are you doing!” Langa howled between his trailing off chuckles. Reki just looked at him and shrugged before blowing some bubbles off of his hand. “Please, just turn off the tap,” he added before closing the door behind him. The redhead fumbled to find it in the mess of soap before turning it off. The water still spilled over, wetting the tile and mats below. With an adoring little sigh, the blue-haired boy stepped through the puddles. 

“I feel I am missing something here. Do you not know how to run a bath?” he questioned, taking some of the bubbles away from the pile and into the shower. 

“Um, well, yeah, I don’t. But I tried my best to figure it out!” Reki replied confidently with a double thumbs up and wide smile. His smile must have been infectious, since Langa grinned back at him. 

“Next time you can just ask for help, alright? Rinse yourself off and then get dried and dressed. I will have someone come clean this up shortly,” he instructed, the mass of soap and air a little bit less intimidating to look at now. Reki nodded with a determined look in his eyes.

∞∞∞∞∞

Time passed by as the sun made its way down further towards the skyline. They had managed to get Reki some proper clothes after his bath- a fitted yellow button up with fitted black pants. Next, Langa got staff to prepare him a room to stay in, which was just down the hall from the prince. They had realized at one point that neither of them knew each other’s names, making them both laugh awkwardly. It was nice, though, to get the chance to just _talk_.

Dinner finally came around, and was Reki ever starved. He waited impatiently next to Langa in his seat, eyes roaming over the multitude of objects next to his plate. They were then told they had to wait for the queen-

“The queen?” Reki exclaimed, having thought that all humans just- lived this grandly. Apparently not. 

“Yes? I am the prince, and my mom is the queen. Did… you not know?” Langa replied hesitantly. Everyone always knew of his status well before greeting him. Come to think of it, Reki had never addressed him as such, and Langa never questioned it. It was actually rather nice. Much more welcoming than a ‘your highness’. 

“I had no idea! Lan- I mean, Prince Langa, please forgive my manners!” he corrected himself, bowing slightly. The mer-world had royalty as well, but there were only a few kingdoms throughout the sea. His community was settled well away from the one in the center of the Pacific. 

Langa forced a smile at the title. “That’s perfectly alright, Reki. You don’t need to address me that way. … I like it when you call me Langa,” he replied, face bordering on shy. Just as Reki went to reply, the queen finally stepped confidently into the room. 

She had been alerted of this visitor that Langa had brought in, but knew it was best to leave the boy be. He never had been great at making friends. The last thing she wanted to do was interrupt them and make her son skittish again. “Good evening, you two! Has the prince been able to show you around?” Nanako greeted with a smile. 

“Oh, yes! Thank you, your majesty,” Reki replied with his second bow in a row. He really hoped that she hadn’t quite heard of his earlier incident with the bathtub. 

Things settled down shortly after this as their meal was soon served. Across the relatively expansive table sat different meats and roasts, steaming vegetables, and some breads. Reki wondered who all ate this at the end of the day. It was more than his family would have, and there were five stomachs to feed. He had wanted to wait and see what they did with their… metal objects, so he could follow suit, but they wanted him to have first selection. 

So Reki put on a confident smile, grabbing the fork. The spikey one resembled his hair comb at home, so that’s where he would start. Maybe they just really liked to groom themselves before their meal? The redhead brought the utensil up to his hair, brushing it back through his (for once) dry locks. Both of the people seated at the table with him had their jaws drop to the floor.

“What? Did I do something wrong?” Reki hesitantly asked with a fearful look. Langa just nodded, trying to cover his smile from his mother. The queen looked at the redhead with a glint of recognition. 

“I’ll get you a new one. You can just, um, use that to pick up your food, instead,” the prince helpfully supplied, getting out of his chair to go into the kitchen. Once he was tucked behind the security of the door, he let himself giggle over the incident. As he grabbed another fork from the utensils drawer, he found his heart beating happily in his chest. He already knew this Reki person was unique, but Langa never would have guessed he would be this wonderful. He never quite felt like this before, let alone because of another person. 

Langa returned to the dining room, handing off the fork to Reki. Their hands touched briefly as they smiled at once another. The prince sat back down with a newfound, dizzying ache in his chest. All he wanted was more Reki.

∞∞∞∞∞

Reki returned to his room after dinner. His heart had raced the whole of the meal after his little slip up. The queen had seemed very, very terribly confused by his actions. She didn’t bring it up again as they ate their food. Langa, on the other hand, had seemed very amused. His dazzling blue eyes never left his figure through most of their time at the table. Between that, the fork mishap, and the touch of their hands, Reki’s mind was imploding on itself.

“The prince is just… so beautiful! And patient. And kind. And funny…” Reki rambled to himself as he laid on his back like starfish on the bed. His draw to the boy had been his looks, if not especially the cute confused pout he had sported that evening, but now there were a multitudes of reasons. “Damn. I’m crushing hard, aren’t I?” he whined into the space miserably. 

The hardest part of all of this was missing his family. Now that he was finally truly alone with nothing to do, his mind had wandered back to his sisters and mom. Reki had no idea if they had noticed his absence, or if they had begun to worry already. He sometimes stayed out late at S if there was a competition going on, or if Miya wanted to go scare ships, but he always came back home just after his sisters’ bed time. His heart began to ache for a new reason. 

Reki forced himself to think about Prince Langa instead. He knew he had just two days with the human before he would transform back. He also knew he had traded a memory to get here, and something about fulfilling a desire. He didn’t even know what he had offered up, let alone what his heart had desired in that moment. The redhead wanted all kinds of things! Yet, he had come here for a reason. Regardless of what happened, Reki would be happy just getting to know Langa. 

_More like get to know his lips…_ his mind oh so helpfully reminded him as he drifted off to sleep.

∞∞∞∞∞

The second that Langa had free time after his lessons, he asked around for where Reki was. None of the staff that he came across seemed to know just what the boy was up to nor where he currently was. It was almost alarming, considering the redhead’s natural ability to get into trouble. He was spontaneous, full of energy, and loved to do whatever caught his attention in the moment. Langa wished he could be as sporadic and carefree as his cru- he meant, as his friend was. (No need to go there this early…)

Langa gave up asking people for help. There was a good chance that the boy was back outside, perhaps playing in the sand or chasing the waves. It seemed to be his natural draw, to be on the shoreline. So that’s where he next looked. 

He stepped out into the sun of the early afternoon with Yeti on his heels. He had to use his hand to cover up the sun, squinting, as he walked out of the shade caused by the tall structure. They walked over to the closest patch of sand to the castle. Reki didn’t seem to be there, so he continued down the way they had come from the other day. It had now just about been a full twenty four hours since Langa got a full look at the boy. He chuckled to himself upon remembering. 

“Langa! Hey! Over here!” he then heard from a little ways down. Looking up, Langa could see Reki waving at him, something big next to him. Yeti barked happily and bounded over to the other boy. His eyes finally adjusted, allowing him to look at the shiny object beside Reki. It was the prince’s ATV that he used to get further into the mountains. 

“What are you up to?” Langa casually asked, rocking on his heels. Reki seemed to be just sitting around next to the vehicle. 

“Oh! I wasn’t sure what this was, so I was investigating! I can’t figure it out,” he explained with a pout. The look did things to the blue-haired boy’s heart. 

“Ah, this is my all-terrain vehicle. I use it to get into the forest,” he replied, having to look away from the other boy in fear of his face heating too much just from having to meet his eyes. “Sometimes it's a better escape than just the beach.”

“Huh! So… it moves?” Reki inquired with a head tilt. Langa nodded, grabbing the keys from a small compartment next to the seat. He raised an eyebrow at the redhead in question. “I don’t get what that’s for, but if you’re asking if I wanna ride it, you bet your butt I do!” he cheered. Langa let his head fall back as he laughed. 

Soon enough, they were both decked out with helmets and more casual clothes. Yeti had been brought back to the castle with a whine. Langa got himself situated in the seat first, putting the keys in the ignition. He patted the space behind him to show Reki where to go. He bounced on the ball of his feet before stradling the vehicle. Without much thought to it, Reki wrapped his arms around Langa, his head resting on the other boy’s shoulder. The prince was very glad that Reki couldn’t see the blush that reddened his cheeks. 

Langa drove them up the path it was already on, the gravel twisting into the pine trees. It continued well into the forest and further into the mountain valley. The rich scent of warm pine filled their noses. The sun flitted in and out of their eyes as they passed under the branches and needles. The grass beside them was a lush green now that the snow had melted away for good, providing fresh water. Pine cones were scattered all across the forest floor. 

Reki took all of this in with wide and fascinated eyes. It was unlike anything he had seen before, not even akin to the tall stalks of seaweed that formed their own patches of ‘forest’. “Whoa…” he breathed out right next to Langa’s ear. 

“H-Hey!” he complained, feeling it tickle against and warm his ear in the same breadth. It made a shiver roll down his spine. “Have you not seen-” the prince began to ask, before stopping himself. That was a silly question, if the redhead was already all the way out here. 

Soon enough, they reached a small clearing that had a pond in the center. The sun bounced off of the still water, giving it a refreshing shimmer. Before Langa could even shut off the ATV, Reki was bouncing off of the vehicle and towards the body of water. He chucked his helmet off in the process. A soft smile made its home on Langa’s lips. 

“It’s so pretty, what the heck?! Look at these things, Langa!” Reki shouted as he ventured around the pond, eyeing the flowers. His eyes sparkled brighter than the pond, the prince had thought. _Definitely more priceless than the pond, too._

“Yeah, it’s a nice spot. The flowers tend to bloom best in the spring,” he hummed back, getting off the ATV and removing his helmet. He placed it carefully on the back of the vehicle before joining Reki near the water. “You can pick some, if you want,” Langa added, grabbing one on his way. It was a Paintbrush flower, which matched the vibrant red of Reki’s hair. _Reki’s hair…_

“Really? I don’t wanna take too many, but this one is really-” the redhead began, eyeing up a White Mountain Heather. He was cut off as Langa cut in front of him with a determined gleam to his eyes. Reki’s breath caught in his throat as he made eye contact with the prince. The taller boy’s free hand went to tuck a lock of red hair behind the shorter’s ear. He then placed the stem of the Paintbrush to sit between Reki’s head and his ear. 

“There,” Langa mumbled more to himself than Reki. The flower still popped against his richer-red hair. But it did compliment the red flush that coated his cheeks. Langa blinked himself out of his stupor as he realized this, and quickly apologized before backing up a few steps. 

Reki just stared at him, dumbfounded. His mind was going haywire; he wouldn’t be surprised if there were sparks and smoke coming out from his head. Nothing in his life could live up to what he just experienced, not at all. And his heart made sure to confirm that by wanting to pound out of his ribcage. He carefully touched at the flower that was now securely tucked behind his ear. 

A semi-awkward silence took over the space, the chirps and trills of wildlife the only sounds. 

“The water is cool. Come dip your feet in,” the prince said gently from his new spot at the pond, breaking the tension in the air. The redhead had just managed to suck in a full and proper breath as Langa spoke. He nodded as if in a daze and pulled off his shoes and- what he came to learn was- socks. 

Reki sat a few feet away from the other boy, legs pulled up to his body. He let one of his big toes touch the calm water. It felt nice, relaxing even. So he let the rest of his foot submerge with a sigh. His other followed suit soon after. He took a deep breath, the smell of the forest like a weighted blanket. How was he supposed to go back to the ocean after getting to experience all of this? 

How was he supposed to stay when he didn’t feel like he belonged?

During his mental contemplation and mini-existential crisis, Langa had scooted a little closer to Reki. There was perhaps a foot of space left between their sides now. Their hands could brush again if he dared to wiggle his own fingers that last lone inch. He dared. 

“Langa?” Reki blurted, his head turning to face the prince. He somehow didn’t reel back upon seeing his face so close to his own. The flower stayed put despite his movement. Time seemed to pause as they both lowered their guard. Their shoulders relaxed, their eyelids joining in by example. Reki gulped when Langa took a split second glance down at his lips. 

“Reki…” Langa whispered. He had begun to lean forward. His blue hair shone under the mid afternoon sun, framing his face with fine strands of light. Reki didn’t know what to do. He was enraptured. All he knew was that he wanted this so badly. Reki began to lean forward as well, closing his eyes as his mind did leaps and cartwheels in excitement. 

Suddenly, they were both covered in water. 

A pissed off looking beaver was wading in the water in front of them, its tail primed to send more water their way. Both boys scrambled away from the pond while laughing on their run back to the ATV. They stood behind it to place a barrier between them and the wild animal. Although, their shoes still sat by the edge of the pond. 

“...How are we going to get those back?” Reki finally asked, breaking their quiet observation of the animal. 

“We don’t,” Langa helpfully supplied with a dark look. “Unless you want to fight the beaver.” Reki shook his head wildly in a resounding no. Yet the prince knew they couldn’t get back down without shoes to drive the ATV. “I will try!” the blue-haired boy announced, puffing out his chest. The other boy looked up at him with dazzling eyes. 

To say they couldn’t have gotten out of there fast enough was an understatement.

∞∞∞∞∞

Dinner went by much smoother than the previous evening. The only part that felt off was how low energy Reki had suddenly become. Both the queen and her son found it despite being their usual silence, to be stifling and stressful.

∞∞∞∞∞

Langa dragged Reki to join him on his evening walk along the beach with Yeti. He didn’t normally hook up Yeti’s collar to a leash since he was so well trained, but he wanted to give his friend the experience. Hopefully it also gave him a bit more to focus on; he seemed worried.

They enjoyed their comfortable silence as they walked along the same stretch of beach that they first met at. The creek was about to come up, and even Yeti seemed excited. The only thing that Langa wished he could have added to their shared moment was a little hand holding. The sun was still relatively high up in the sky, so he had no excuses, like ‘it’s dark, I’m scared’. 

Yeah. He would have tried it. 

Reki looked over the water as if it pained him greatly. Yeti was tugging on his leash, wanting to run ahead to the stream of water, jostling the arm of his walker. The redhead didn’t even react. Langa was beginning to think he did something wrong. Perhaps he did scare him at the pond…

“Hello?” a deep voice called out from a familiar stone. Both of the boys looked over at it with a confused look. “I think I need help.”

At that, Langa jogged over to the rock that he had led him to Reki. As he began to look around it, another naked human sat there with his legs tilted to the side. He seemed a little bit older than himself, his hair a darker blue and spikey like his friend’s. Reki called to him from somewhere behind him. Yet he couldn’t hear his voice. It sounded garbled, as if underwater. Instead he just heard the smooth voice- clear as day- of the man in front of him. 

“I am the one you are looking for, am I not?” he purred, looking up at Langa through his eyelashes. The younger boy’s brain began to feel extra foggy. Something was telling him that this was, indeed, that oddly-costumed man from that day. The prince never did fully remember the colour of his hair, just the spikey nature of it. Was he being fooled?

“You are that person…” Langa muttered, feeling as if in a trance. 

“Yes, I am. My name is… Adam. Would you care to help me back to your home?” the other man asked. The prince agreed with a nod, not a hint of hesitation present in his body language. 

Reki looked on from his spot closer to the cliff edge. His senses told him that something bad was happening. Although, he trusted Langa to do the right thing. That was just in his nature. The person did seem to truly need assistance, but- who was it? He had never seen anyone else out here besides the prince. 

When Langa came back with an all too familiar face next to him, he felt his blood run cold. It was Ainosuke. _No- What? No, no, no, no!_ his mind screamed. _He’s also human-!_

“I heard there was an imposter,” ‘Adam’ hissed at Reki as they came to a stop in front of the redhead. Langa didn’t say a thing. Tears were quick to start pooling along the redhead’s lower eyelid. 

“Wh-What do you mean?” Reki stuttered out, fear lacing his being. 

“You aren’t the one who gave me the shells,” Langa said in a very dry, very monotone voice. It sent a chill through the other boy’s otherwise warm body. 

“I- That was me! How do you not know this?” Reki cried. He felt Yeti nudge his wet nose against his leg, the dog’s eyes soft and concerned. He bit his own lip to try to keep his remorse at bay. 

“Adam is the person who gave them to me. He will be joining us. You will need to have left the castle by morning,” Langa droned on, taking Yeti’s leash. The dog whined and tried to reel back to stay with Reki.

How Reki got back to the castle after watching them leave ,staring off into the ocean for another handful of minutes, was beyond the boy’s recollection.

∞∞∞∞∞

Sobs wracked Reki’s body as he smushed his face into his pillow. He had locked himself in his room- well, the guest room he had to leave by the time the sun came back up. It had been dark by the time he had made it to the castle. No one had waited for him in the foyer. Especially not Langa. There had seemed to be a small celebration happening in a room further down the main hallway, voices jovial. He hadn’t bothered to investigate and instead went right to the privacy of his room to cry his frustration and hurt out.

He loves Langa. He knew that since their shared moment in the forest. It might have been all too soon to conclude, but his heart truly sang around the blue-haired boy. As much as he was a prince, he was all the more an adventurous spirit. He was also laid back and sweet, and always made sure Reki was happy. Langa was everything he had ever wanted in his life. He would do anything to be with him. 

But that had been ripped right out of Reki’s hands. 

Whatever magic ‘Adam’ had worked on Langa had certainly done the trick. The prince was well convinced that Reki was a liar. That Ainosuke was the one he had been getting gifts from. It hurt. It hurt so, so badly. Anger started to fill his body more than his sadness. ‘Adam’ was a complete asshole for what he had done. This was clearly all a part of some... plan. 

Reki got up and wiped harshly at his face. The tears stung against his dried out cheeks as the last few trickled down. His nose had been running, so he swiped at that too. Evidence of it all was present on his pillow. He punched the pillow out of resentment. 

He couldn’t just give up like this. Right?

Reki stomped his way to the door, swinging it wide open with a hell-bent look. Even if he couldn’t have the prince by his side after all of this, he still wanted to _try_. So he made his way down a few doorways to the prince’s room. He knocked a few times, solid and resounding, and waited. No reply. The redhead remembered the small party downstairs. 

He skipped down the stairs two at a time before reaching the first floor. He then hesitantly made his way over to where he could hear some music playing. It echoed down the hall in more of a haunting way than an enrapturing one. Once the doorway came into view, he poked his head around the corner to see what was happening. Now it was just three or so people lingering in the room as soft music played over a sound system. Langa and ‘Adam’ were seated next to each other on the sofa, each with a glass of water in their hands. A few staff filtered in and out of the room as they cleaned. 

It was now or never.

“Langa! I want to talk with you!” Reki sstated into the room. He had put his full body in the doorway, his face pinched in a painful yet serious manner.

“I don’t want to talk to you,” Langa replied, not even looking behind him. ‘Adam’ dared to turn around, though. 

“Oh, dear, it seems he still wants to play games! My Eve, how about we see if he can prove himself, hm?” Ainosuke cooed sweetly next to the prince’s ear. Both of the younger boys shivered at the sound of the oldest’s voice. 

“Sure. What do you suggest?” he responded as if bored. 

“Shells! The shells. I can tell you how I got each-” Reki started before being cut off.

“Ah, ah, ah, hush now, little fishy,” ‘Adam’ tutted, wagging his finger in Reki’s direction. Said boy just growled at him. “Let me suggest something to my little prince. Say, Langa?” he continued, turning towards Langa. “How about I tell you all about how I got you each shell?” He nodded.

It took all Reki’s energy not to knock the lights out of the serpent merman as they took their time back up the stairs. 

Langa opened the door to his bedroom with a dull look before gesturing to the window sill that housed all of the shells. Reki’s heart found the energy to flutter as he looked at the sparkling display. He of course remembered them all. Ainosuke gave him a cruel smirk before offering that Reki try first. 

“The blue conch, yellow sand dollars, and orange cowries… I brought them over the course of a bunch of days,” Reki began to explain. He had to clear his throat as he felt an emotional lump try to make its home in the back of his mouth. “I made sure to find the prettiest ones for whoever came across them. You did. So I brought you more,” he continued. “Next was the ivory long-spined star seashell. I chipped it on the way to the creek. I didn’t want to find another one, because that one was already special. Then I brought you the pink ark shell…” 

Langa stared at him with confused eyes as he took in his story. It all sounded correct. It was in order, and made sense with which were damaged and which weren’t. He looked to ‘Adam’ for his own story. The tallest of the three told practically the exact same story, if not more detailed. This confused the prince. 

“Can either of you explain the collar?” Langa then asked to break the stalemate. 

Reki’s heart dropped. How did the prince get that? He swore it was still sitting in his chest full of all kinds of things-

“I left it on the rock the day that Yeti found me behind the rock~” ‘Adam’ sing-songed with a full air of confidence. Reki felt like crying all over again. He couldn’t remember anything like that! Was that the memory he gave up? 

“That is correct. Reki?”

“I... I don’t know,” he all but whimpered out, voice cracking. There was only silence after his answer, making his need to cry bubble up stronger than before. He ran out of the room while holding back his sobs.

∞∞∞∞∞

Reki woke up with his eyes crusted over from all of his crying. At least at this point he just felt numb. He had until noon as a human, and more importantly, had until noon to regret all of his life decisions. Langa still wanted him out of the castle by sunrise, which was tough, considering the sun was up so early these days. It was nearly six in the morning when he finally left the front doors of the castle.

 _Why did I even try?_ his mind cried. 

His feet dragged behind him in the sand of the shore. It created a weird little pattern as he continued towards the spot that held such a near and dear place in his heart. If only he could remember what made it truly the most wonderful of places. Whatever memory he had traded was clearly about Langa and Yeti, which made his heart hurt. But at the same time, had he not allowed for it to be given in the contract, he never would have gotten to meet Langa properly. 

Was that for the best? Should he have not raced Ainosuke for this opportunity? Reki wasn’t all that sure. 

But… he had to have used a memory laced with what he desired. If it had been one related to meeting Langa and giving him that- collar?- then his desire had to do with the prince. He had still known his desire the whole time, hadn’t he? A thought that had come and gone a few times now popped back into his brain. _I wanna kiss him._

It felt much too simple. It was all too plain, if not cliche. He thanked his teenage hormones for that one specifically. He really couldn’t have made it, like, to just be with Langa? Really? That would have been so much easier. Ugh. 

Then… would Reki just need a kiss from the prince to finalize the contract, get his memory back from ‘Adam’, and live happily ever after? He was very much willing to try. He wasn’t sure what came next, but that was alright. Reki would have the memory back, ‘Adam’ would not have it any longer, and the spell he put on Langa would break. Win-win.

He just began his race back to the castle when a mass of fluffy white fur bowled him over. Looking up with sand in his hair, he was met with the sight of Yeti sitting on top of him. In his mouth was a shell he never thought he would have to see again. The pyram shell that Ainosuke had used during the potion making. 

“Whoa, thanks, buddy! Can I just…” Reki exclaimed with a renewed sparkle to his eyes. He took the shell out from between the dog’s teeth. He was sure that if he just smashed the shell into pieces, things would be okay. It held his memory, did it not? All of ‘Adam’s’ power over the spell would have stemmed from the object in his hands. 

He would still have to make sure it did the trick. 

Reki continued on his way back to the castle. He wasn’t sure if he could get in anymore, with Langa having wanted him gone. So he snuck around for an open window. There was one that led into a random room on the first floor that he wormed his way into. From there, he snuck out of the unlocked door and into the hallway. 

He could hear the still dull drone of Langa’s voice down the hall. Sure, he didn’t include as much intonation as the average person would in day to day conversation, but this was on a whole new level. Despite how unsettling it was, he pushed forward in his quest. 

The two were back in the room Reki had found them in the other night. It was fully cleaned, the window cracked a little to let in fresh spring air. The blue haired duo were cuddled up on the sofa and the sight took everything the redhead had to not throw up then and there. He took a deep breath to steady himself. 

“Look what _I’ve_ got, Ainosuke!” Reki finally yelled as he strode calmly into the room. “Does this ring any bells?” he mocked with a mischievous look. 

At the call of his true name, he shot up from his reclined position, startling Langa from his place on his chest. His eyes widened comedically, watching the shell be twiddled with in the redhead’s hands. Reki moved further into the room so that he could face them both. 

“How in the _hell_ did you get that?!” the serpent merman howled, shoving the prince unceremoniously off of him. “Don’t you dare break it, you moron!”

“Why should I listen to you, you- you dingus!” Reki shouted with all of his heart. He purposefully balanced it precariously in his fingers. 

“Because! You would end the contract then and there, turning us both back! How would we get to the water?”

“You think I give a single shit about that?” he barked back, his grip tightening on the shell. “I’m miserable here, and I’m damn sure Langa would be too, stuck with your ancient ass!”

‘Adam’ sucked in a deeply offended breath. “You take that back…” he growled, ready to swipe at the little brat who was ruining all of his plans. Langa watched on with a bored look. This didn’t seem to concern him anymore. Yet something pulled at him from inside, wanting to drag him over to the redhead. 

The prince suddenly got up from his awkward position on the sofa. He passed by Ainosuke and headed towards Reki. Hope began to fill the shorter boy. “Langa…?” he whispered, afraid to break the moment. 

“I don’t like it here,” he simply stated as he held eye contact with Reki. A beat. “What do you mean by ‘back to the water’?” 

“Langa, sweetie, don’t worry about these things! We can be happy here, together,” ‘Adam’ hummed with a hint of worry in his voice. 

“I was never happy here,” the prince stated with his expressionless face. The sight made a shiver pass through the redhead. From what part, he was unsure. “Where are you from?”

“The sea,” Reki breathed. “Like, under it. Under the sea,” he added for clarification. He wasn’t even sure if the prince was lucid enough to understand any of this consciously. “If I could bring you with me… I would…” Reki mumbled with a saddened look. 

“Hah! You could still come along with me, little Langa! _I_ have the magic needed to make you a merfolk, just like us,” the tallest of the bunch proclaimed with confidence. “All I need you to do is press your l-”

Before Ainosuke could finish his sentence, a very thick and heavy book came down upon him from above. It easily knocked him out cold. As his body crumpled to the floor, the person behind the assault was revealed. The queen.

“My _god_ , was that weird man ever a creep! I didn’t know what to say when Langa brought him home last night, but he felt fishy,” Nanako huffed into the now stuffy room. She looked at Reki before turning towards her son. He still had that half vacant look in his eyes. “Just what did he do to you…?” she cried as she cradled his face. 

“Your majesty…” Reki awkwardly started, his eyes locked onto his own feet. 

“Reki, dear, don’t worry about i-”

“But this is all my fault!” Reki sobbed, relaxing his hold on the pyram shell. He then began to explain everything, even while the guards dragged the unconscious ‘Adam’ away. The boy talked about how he was not human, just a stupid teenage merfolk. He explained how he made the deal to get here, and how he grew to lo- like! like, the prince. And how he wanted to go home. But he didn’t want to leave Langa behind. 

Nanako sighed with her whole body. A soft smile settled on her lips as she looked to the ceiling. How did her son always get into these weird little adventures? 

“... I believe you. I’ve made friends with… a merfolk?- before. I never told a single soul, because, well,” she gestured vaguely at Reki, assuming he understood. He did. Maybe. “She was a sweet young thing, reminds me of you” she sighed. “But that’s beside the point!”

“Mom?” the prince questioned as she instead turned towards Reki. 

“Langa has never wanted to be part of royalty,” the queen began wearily. “His heart lies in whatever world can offer him adventure, and trouble, and fascination.” She said that last word with her eyes sharply locked in with Reki’s. “I’m honestly not surprised that he finally stumbled upon your world, you know? It makes sense,” she continued to monologue. The hands that previous cupped Langa’s face now rested against the redhead’s cheeks. “I know he is in love with you, too.”

Reki’s world spun to a stop. Or, more like just spun. Really, really fast. Was she for sure? Did she hear a confirmation straight from Langa’s mouth? Was any of this stupid, stupid situation even real? He pinched himself and yelped from the pain. Not some crazy, prolonged fever dream, then. 

The queen laughed as she was amused by the action. “I just know it. Mother’s intuition,” she hummed with a wink. Langa had kept quiet as he kept standing next to the sofa. “What I am trying to say is that… you should take him with you. If you can. I don’t want this Adam fellow being involved if possible, but…”

Reki steeled himself as he went to reply. “I don’t know how. I don’t… know how I would do that. Only _he_ can,” he grumbled with an air of defeat. The queen’s shoulders sagged with a tired smile. 

“That’s alright, Reki,” she wearily replied. “We will figure out something. I’m sure of it.”

“The shell,” Langa hummed to no one in particular. A pair of heads turned to look in his direction with confusion. “Breaking it would reverse the spell,” he continued, his face now scrunching up as if in pain. His own thoughts appeared to be fought for against Ainosuke’s magic. His face relaxed again. 

“The spell and the shell…” Reki hummed, now sitting in his own thoughts. If he shattered it now, Langa would be free, but Reki would merely begin to suffocate in the dry room as the lone merman. That only created more problems. If Reki instead kissed the prince, and got the memory back before his time was up, he wouldn’t die, but would get his friend back to normal. If Langa perhaps did _something_ to the shell, the magic would perhaps transfer over to instead allow Langa to join _Reki’s_ world. Was there a way to mush all those concepts together? His foot tapped impatiently. Wait, ‘Adam’ had said...

“I’ve got it! I think I know what to do,” Reki cheered as he secured his hold on the shell that started it all. This must be the way. His story already felt like a fairytale, so he sure hoped his blind luck continued to make it that way. 

“If you are sure,” Nanako cautioned. She began to press her thumb along her opposite palm to calm herself down. This could go wrong in many ways, and in the best case scenario, she would have to see her son off into a world that didn’t involve her any longer. She refused to cry. 

“I am sure! But… we should go to the beach. Y-Your majesty,” Reki replied bashfully. 

“No need, dear! Call me Nanako. Please,” she insisted as she kept her tears back. “You better be my son-in-law in due time, you got that?”

Reki nodded with a stupid grin before grabbing Langa’s hand and heading out the door. The queen solemnly trailed after them at a slower pace. The duo made it out of the castle in record time, and down to the warm sand on the coast. Yeti had been waiting outside for them, so he followed after with his tongue flailing in the wind. Nanako tried her best to commit the image to memory. 

“Okay, Langa. Please listen to me and trust me,” Reki began with slow and punchy words. He made sure their eyes locked, no matter how dull the prince’s were. The taller boy nodded once. “Cool. Okay. Great. So,” the redhead sputtered, presenting the shell in the palm of his hand. “I am damn sure he was going to say ‘press your lips to the shell’. That would, I don’t know, imprint the magic onto you, as well. Since it’s so… well, intimate,” he explained with rosy cheeks. 

“But the thing is, I know we need to break the spell _he_ ,” Reki spat, “put you under to even- make this worth it...” He gulped harshly as he felt nerves creep up on him. “But I still need to have some magic to transform back, so… I’m sorry in advance-!”

Reki put the damned shell between his lips, length wise mind you, before grabbing onto the other boy’s shoulders harshly. The pull sent Langa staggering slightly towards the other boy. His eyes showed a hint of surprise behind whatever veil was covering them. Yet it was all just how Reki wanted it. 

Langa’s lips crashed into the shell for a brief second before the fragile object cracked and shattered between their lips. The shards fell to their feet, sparkling in the sun, as their scratched-up lips met in a misaligned kiss. Reki had his eyes screwed shut as he pressed harder against Langa’s lips despite the slight blood greasing their mouths. Langa blinked a handful of times between shock and the spell wearing off. Before he could return the kiss, the redhead backed off. 

“... Langa?” he painfully mumbled, wanting to make sure it was working. The prince stared at him with eyes full of joy and wonder. It made Reki’s belly do somersaults upon realizing that it had at least begun to do the trick. 

“Reki-!” he exclaimed as he picked the other boy up and twirled him around in his arms. Both of them were laughing cheerfully, celebrating their little victory. Their lips were quick to stop bleeding too harshly which allowed them to enjoy the moment a little better. And although Langa felt that he was strong, he couldn’t hold up Reki forever. He set him back on his feet before leaning their foreheads together. “Thank you,” he breathed with a wide grin. 

As much as the queen appreciated the sweet moment that her son and Reki got to share, there was something missing in the outcome currently. Her eyebrows drew in out of concern as neither boys seemed to be sprouting tails. “Boys, do you think it did all that you wanted it to…?” Nanako called out from her place still on the grass. 

Their heads turned to her before they had heat rise to their cheeks, putting a little bit of distance between themselves. Reki then realized that neither of them had turned into a merman. He bit his lip in worry. 

“I-I swear that was it-! I don’t know what could have-” he began before cutting himself off. Perhaps if just to allow their victory to settle in properly, a small puff of turquoise finally rose out from the largest shard of the shell. It twisted and twirled its way around the two boys before more came around and quickly engulfed them. The last sight that the queen could see of them was them smiling happily at each other. 

The plume settled downward before being blown away by a strong gust of wind. From behind the curtain it had created, laid two mermen with their tails flopping gently against the sand. 

“That was much less painful than the other way around,” grumbled the redhead as he looked down at his tail. All was in working order, fins untouched and scales still all present. He shook his head to clear his mind of himself as he looked over at his favourite blue-haired boy. 

Langa was propped up on his elbows as he looked down along his body at his tail. The vast majority of his scales matched his hair, if not a little lighter with their reflection in the sun. The few that started near his stomach were darker in colour before forming a gradient down his tail. Yet the most mesmerizing part was most definitely his fins. His tail fin was long and wide, fanning over the dry sand. It began as the same blue as his scales before melting into a soft lavender. The two fins that lined his sides were draped and curvy, and followed the same colour scheme. His gills were a deep purple while his neck fins were the common blue. 

“Wow…” they both said at the same time, nearly for the same reason. Reki, in awe of how gorgeous his prince was as a merfolk, and Langa, in amazement of the transformation. 

“You really did it, Reki!” Langa cheered as he flipped himself over to look at his friend. 

“It was mostly thanks to your mom,” he chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck. “We should really get going so that we don’t dry up out here, though…” Reki added with remorse. 

“You are so handsome, the two of you!” Nanako gushed, as if they were both dressed up to go to prom night together. A few tears had trailed down her cheeks as emotions began to overwhelm her. She grabbed onto one of each of the boys’ hands. “Now listen good, okay? Reki, you better take very, very good care of my son. And Langa, don’t make life too hard for the poor boy,” she chided with a playful tone. Both of them nodded with wide grins. The prince- or maybe just the merman, now- felt his own tears fall from his lashes. 

“Thank you so much, mom. I love you and I’ll miss you. But I will visit, you know that, right?” he replied heartily with his own teasing tone. 

“Let me have this, okay!” she laughed, letting go of their hands and stepping back. “Now go before I see you both suffocate on my own land.”

With that, they both waved at the queen in ‘goodbye- for now’. Reki had to help Langa wiggle along the beach to get over to the water. He did it all with a content and patient smile. It was his turn to teach the blue-haired boy a thing or two about his world. Not before long, they were both hidden beneath the waves.

∞∞∞∞∞

Reki returned to his little community of merfolk with Langa in tow. He had made sure the boy could swim like this first and foremost. It was oddly difficult for him to do despite how natural it seemed to be considering all you have is a tail to swish around. Thankfully Langa was also a quick learner. But all that time spent was still not enough cushion for the inevitable.

“Hey, mom? I’m home,” Reki hesitantly called into their little coral house. A series of clicks and clangs sounded inside as his family rushed over to the door he had called from. The doorway opened to reveal three little girls with wavering bottom lips and a worried looking mom. 

“Where the hell have you been, Reki?! I have been worried sick! We just sent out a search party the other night. Miya just shrugged when we asked him, which was a terrible sign- but are you hurt? Did someone fishnap you?! I will have to have a word-” she rambled on, hugging Reki before patting him down for injuries. He chuckled awkwardly as he wiggled out of her grasp. 

“It’s kind of a long story,” he murmured before swimming to the side just enough for them to see the boy behind him. 

The two mermen were welcomed into the house with wide arms and even wider smiles. Reki’s sisters had all given him a solid hug before they started ogling Langa; they all went to braid different strands of his hair after they forgave their brother. The taller boy sat hunched in on himself in bashfulness, unfamiliar with the situation on so many levels. As this all occurred, Reki told his story to his mom who listened very intently. By the end, she tutted and berated him for his actions, but congratulated him for his bravery and desired outcome. 

“So... is he your boyfriend?” she hummed while putting away the dishes they had all just ate from. (Reki was very happy to have her cooking back.) The girls had already gone off to play now that they got their fill of the new merman.

“Bwa- Bwoy- Boyfr-” he sputtered out, tripping over his own tongue as his cheeks went as red as his hair. Langa laughed at the display. 

“I sure hope so. That was part of your desire, wasn’t it, Reki? And we literally just kissed,” Langa explained with a shy look. He wanted this as much Reki did, he was sure of it. This had the other boy hiding his face in his hands. 

“Then yes! Langa’s my b-boyfriend,” Reki finally stated while his tail fin swished in joy and excitement. “Let’s, um, head out now, Langa,” he then suggested, grabbing the said boy’s hand. With a quick goodbye and ‘nice to meet you’, Reki pulled his boyfriend out of the coral house and into the vast space beyond their walls. 

In the following days, Reki showed Langa around his little community. He didn’t know everyone, but he sure treated it like he did. Everyone was very welcoming to his boyfriend, with some a little too welcoming, but it was still fun. He made sure to hold his hand as they swam around the merfolk settlement, and especially when he went to show him S.

It was one of the very first things Reki introduced him to. They ended up meeting with Miya the first time they went. The catfish merman showed his happiness for his friend in the only way he knew how- being a little weenie. Miya teased him with some k-i-s-s-i-n-g jingle the second that Reki had explained things to him. Yet any time after that when they showed any kind of affection, he would fake a gag before smirking at them after. As annoying as the brat was, it never failed to make the two boyfriends laugh. (And if they were purposefully extra affectionate around Miya, that was no one's business but their own.)

Reki explained the whole of S to Langa. How they raced through the rushing water, occasionally peeking out for flips and turns to make it interesting. He excluded any part that involved Ainosuke. The best part, though, was pulling Langa’s back to his chest before making them dive into the Alaska Current. Langa had scrambled to try to get out of his grip, fearful to try out something like this so soon as a merman. But once he had gotten used to it with Reki there to hold him, he found it extremely fun. 

When they weren’t at S trying to outrace each other, they could be found cuddling somewhere at home. Sometimes they went through Reki’s chest of trinkets while Langa laid across the other boy’s lap. Other times they would just nap on Reki’s bed with the redhead curled up as the little spoon. There was almost never a time where they weren’t touching.

“Langa, you have some red algae paste on your cheek,” Reki commented with a pout as they sat alone at the table. He cupped Langa’s opposite cheek as the other boy looked at him with soft eyes. The redhead brought a cloth up to his face to wipe it away. He might have rubbed at the spot for a little longer than necessary, but neither of them commented on it. 

Reki looked up from between his eyelashes with his hands still stuck in place. Langa was looking back at him with a passion lighting up behind his pupils. They both gulped before they leaned in carefully. Their lips brushed against each other for a few seconds before they parted. They breathed the same air- water?- for a few seconds before Langa went back in for seconds. His soft lips eagerly molded to Reki’s own as they continued to kiss as if their lives depended on it. 

In the back of his mind, Reki was very glad his mom and sisters were out shopping again. It would have been rather awkward with them sitting around the table as they made out. So they began to take advantage of this as Reki pressed Langa down onto the table. He laid himself on top of the blue-haired boy with a playful chuckle before licking at the other boy’s lips. Langa took in a sharp inhale as he felt Reki’s tongue trace the seal of his lips. He listened to his request, opening his mouth enough for the redhead to add some tongue to their kiss. 

The two continued to explore each other’s mouths with a few ‘sorrys’ and ‘whoops’ from the occasional too harsh a bite and clank of teeth. They were getting used to it, and used to each other. Yet their little adventure was broken up by the sound of his sisters' shouts from outside. Langa and Reki were quick to laugh it off later in the latter’s room later that night. 

Langa had been quick to get the hang of current cruising. He was swift despite all of his fancy fins, and they certainly added to the wonderful sight of him passing by in the speedy stream. Reki was always happy to jet through the current with him when they weren’t feeling competitive, and just as content to watch from the sidelines when someone challenged his boyfriend. 

The view from outside of the current when Langa sprang out to do a backflip, arching back into the rushing water, was always his favourite. And Reki knew he only ever did this move _for_ Reki, when he knew he was waiting at that spot.

∞∞∞∞∞

Nanako stood around, wondering just what the hell to do with the serpent she had trapped in the large tank of water. ‘Adam’ had transformed back just after the boys had, which had startled the castle staff. They were quick to dump him into the large aquarium that Langa had been gifted as a toddler. The older man had whined, and moped, and cried out his woes while he watched the queen contemplate her next steps.

An idea popped into her head. 

It wasn’t long before there were ads about a new carnival act traveling across Canada. They boasted about their tightrope walkers and their fire-breathers. They had trapeze artists and a parade of penguins, as well. But what drew everybody in was the serpent-tailed merman on the cover of the promotional poster. He looked so real, and even waxed poetic about himself and his magic. No one was able to figure out their trick. 

Nanako was pleased with herself as she sipped her tea from her cup. She had been given the best seat in the circus tent when their first act began near her home.

∞∞∞∞∞

A week or so had passed by now, where they were both chilling in Reki’s room.

“Do you think… that you are happier here?” Reki hesitantly asked with his back turned to his boyfriend. There was a long pause that had the redhead’s tummy turning. _What if Langa regrets this? Was his mom wrong? Did he miss the mountains and forests and flowers and-_

“Yes. I know I am,” Langa finally answered, his arms snaking around Reki’s sides. Reki leaned back into the touch before spinning himself around to face the other merman. He pressed a quick peck to the other boy’s nose before relaxing. 

“Oh thank god,” he huffed out in relief, earning him a nuzzle from his boyfriend. 

“Thank you for bringing me along with you,” he hummed into the water between them. “I’ll still want to visit my mom, of course, but… this is the most alive I think I have ever felt,” the prince-turned-merman confessed with a shy look. 

“You are the most welcome,” Reki beamed back. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Reki and Langa fell asleep peacefully in each other’s arms that night after a handful more shared kisses. If there was one thing they could agree on, it was that they were just happy to be a part of each other’s worlds.

**Author's Note:**

> I imagined Kiss the Girl playing somewhere in the distance during the pond scene and gosh that would have been interesting. More importantly, I'm all too pleased with my 'casually slipped in' references and memes. 
> 
> Once again, I would love to hear your thoughts on my work :D
> 
> You can find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/EntyAtDusk).


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